Country News - 2005

Friday 30 December 2005YORKSHIRE cheese-makers were sent into a state of shock this week by the news that the Food Standards Agency is threatening to force the makers of "the king of English cheeses" - Blue Stilton - to change its centuries-old recipe because it is too salty.

Thursday 29 December 2005ANTI-field sports activists are pressing the Government to tighten up the laws banning foxhunting after a huge turnout by pro-hunt supporters on Boxing Day - despite that fact that most hounds were chasing scented drags rather than foxes.

Friday 23 December 2005MARKET research by a leading brand of pickle manufacturers has made liars of many of us who say we like to go out for a brisk walk on Boxing Day to burn off the Christmas calories.

Thursday 22 December 2005REVOLUTIONARY changes in the way that farm subsidies are to be paid, combined with a plethora of grants for environmental protection schemes, have left thousands of British farmers confused - and sometimes out of pocket.

Wednesday 21 December 2005Halting the decline of village halls is the aim as rural affairs department DEFRA launches a new online information hub entitled 'Community Halls for Rural People' on its website.

Wednesday 21 December 2005AS hundreds of thousands of motorists prepare for long journeys to see friends and family over Christmas, they will be passing hundreds of illegal advertising hoardings on the sides of tractors, trailers and temporary screens placed in fields alongside motorways and major trunk roads.

Thursday 15 December 2005PRIME Minister Tony Blair was facing defeat in crisis talks on the notorious EU Common Agricultural policy in Brussels today, a matter of great interest to farmers in the Yorkshire Dales who are already facing a bleak Christmas because of chaos in the funding payment system.

Wednesday 14 December 2005THE biggest-ever bird-ringing operation ever carried out in the UK has produced some surprising results. Despite the doom and gloom in many conservationist circles, it has found that wild birds are living longer - and migrating astonishing distances.

Tuesday 13 December 2005A North Yorkshire landowner with wide experience of the workings of national parks is to be the next national president of the countryside camping group, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).

Thursday 08 December 2005MOUNTAIN-bikers and horse riders who until now have had to ford the River Dee in one of the most beautiful valleys in the Yorkshire Dales can now look forward to keeping their feet dry.

Wednesday 07 December 2005HOWLS of rage emitted from the moneymen in the City of London yesterday over a Treasury back down which was greeted with applause by hundreds of young couples in the Yorkshire Dales.

Tuesday 06 December 2005BRITAIN'S attempts to reform the notorious EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), already under attack from France and new East European members, have received another icy blast - from Northern landowners.

Monday 05 December 2005FARMERS and landowners are being asked to open up even more land to public access on top of the hundreds of thousands of acres that have already been declared open - often against the wishes of the owners - under the Right to Roam legislation.

Thursday 01 December 2005WOULD-BE entrepreneurs in rural Yorkshire are being advised that there is a grant fund of £4 million available as "seed-corn" to set up new businesses - but they are warned to apply now.

Wednesday 30 November 2005THE famous Dickensian fayre weekends in Grassington before Christmas now attract thousands of visitors from all parts of Northern England - but also cause a mega-problem by clogging up the tiny Yorkshire Dales village with hundreds of cars.

Tuesday 29 November 2005BRITAIN'S wild birds are facing a life or death situation brought upon by the severe weather, says the country's leading ornithological research body. And with even more harsh weather forecast in the months ahead, gardeners could come to the rescue with food, water - and information.

Monday 28 November 2005DAELNET, the pioneer of Internet services in the Yorkshire Dales, was judged to provide the best website in the area, it was announced at the Craven Herald & Pioneer Business Awards ceremony in Skipton at the weekend.

Thursday 24 November 2005THE future boss of England's new countryside super-quango visited the Yorkshire Dales National Park HQ yesterday - and said that the national parks would become "hugely influential" in reducing bureaucracy for farmers and landowners.

Tuesday 22 November 2005THE British Trust for Ornithology is expressing growing concern about some of Britain's most popular birds which are having difficulty in raising young. They include the skylark, whose decline has been recorded for years, but also the common starling, which once flocked in thousands in rural areas close to big towns and cities.

Monday 21 November 2005A NEW law comes into force today (Monday, November 21) aimed at tackling one of the fastest growing problems in the countryside - fly-tipping. But be warned: you could become a criminal if you employ a builder or gardener who illegally dumps your rubbish.

Wednesday 16 November 2005Starting next weekend the Grassington Players will be performing their annual Dickensian show. Although the Grassington Dickensian festival doesn’t start until the 3rd December the Players will be giving a special extra show for the locals next Saturday the 26th.

Wednesday 16 November 2005THE environment in some of Britain's wildest places - including areas of North Yorkshire - could be under threat from proposed cuts in regional development funds from the European Union, a Government minister will be told today.

Tuesday 15 November 2005THE number of so-called "green farms" converting to environmental stewardship schemes has passed the 1,000 mark in the Yorkshire and Humberside region, the countryside ministry Defra announced today.

Wednesday 09 November 2005A MASSIVE fightback to save England's red squirrels from extinction at the paws of foreign invaders was announced today - a wildlife D-Day which animal conservationists hope could be the start of a re-conquest of huge areas of land colonised by the American grey squirrel.

Monday 07 November 2005STRONGER laws are needed to protect common land from encroachment by illegal fencing, building, car parks and "other paraphernalia" says a report issued today by Britain's oldest access protection charity, the Open Spaces Society.

Wednesday 02 November 2005A MASSIVE crack-down has been announced against the owners of 4 x 4 vehicles and trail motor bikes accused of causing extensive damage to ancient "green lanes" in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Tuesday 01 November 2005A TOP European Union official is due to visit the Yorkshire Dales this week to study an intriguing experiment which aims to breath life back into long forgotten methods of traditional farming.

Thursday 27 October 2005BRITAIN'S ancient hill farming industry is "falling apart" because of constantly changing red-tape and the fact that farmers' children are no longer following in their parents' footsteps.

Wednesday 26 October 2005A LITTLE known Government consultation process designed to gauge public opinion on the import of endangered wildlife species ends next Monday - but it has been thrown into stark relief by the admission that deadly avian flu might already have entered Britain in rare imported birds.

Wednesday 26 October 2005Christopher Awdry and Thomas the Tank Engine will be at Leeming Bar station and Bedale this week-end, October 29 and 30, to help celebrate the 60th Anniversary of publication of the first Thomas story.

Monday 24 October 2005TWO Government departments were this weekend involved in a policy clash which could prove "disastrous" for plans to increase the number of affordable homes for sale or rent in the Yorkshire Dales, according to one local housing expert.

Thursday 20 October 2005MANY Yorkshire schoolchildren living in former mill towns never get the chance to explore the magnificence of the Yorkshire Dales - so next week, a drive will start to take the Dales into the town.

Wednesday 19 October 2005MORE than 6,000 farmers in England have signed up for the Government's new Environmental Stewardship scheme, taking land to be farmed with the interests of wildlife in mind past the one million hectare mark - almost 2,500,000 acres.

Tuesday 18 October 2005A SURVEY to calculate the demand for affordable homes in the Craven district of the Yorkshire Dales has produced both good and bad news for planners in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Monday 17 October 2005BRITISH scientists are to fly out to the Far East later this week to begin a detailed study of the potentially lethal avian flu virus as anxiety grew amongst British farmers and food producers that we are facing another foot-and-mouth type crisis.

Thursday 13 October 2005THERE may be an end in sight for one of the longest running controversies in the Yorkshire Dales - the row over damage caused to ancient "green lanes" by 4 x 4 vehicles and trail motorbikes used for leisure.

Wednesday 12 October 2005AS CARLISLE was hit by more floods overnight, and heavy rain was predicted for the North West and the Yorkshire Dales, the Environment Agency today issued a stern warning that five million people in England and Wales were living in potential flood areas.

Tuesday 11 October 2005THERE was speculation today that the wild lynx, a predatory member of the cat family roughly the size of an Alsatian dog, might be re-introduced to the Yorkshire Dales - thanks to an edict from the European Union.

Wednesday 05 October 2005AS the autumn run of salmon into Northern rivers gets underway following heavy rain last weekend, the Environment Agency has is issued an emergency appeal to anglers to return their catches unharmed in rivers where stocks are under extreme threat.

Tuesday 04 October 2005THE ever-active British Hedgehog Preservation Society has issued another appeal for help - this time to save the lives of prickly, homeless juveniles who are facing a long, hard winter.

Monday 03 October 2005HELP is at hand for business victims lost in the Government's latest red-tape maze, the new traceability regulations for the food and drinks industry which mean people must be able to prove the source of their products.

Thursday 29 September 2005THE British public fears for the future of its parks because of vandalism and anti-social behaviour so much that taxpayers are prepared to pay more to see them protected, according to a national survey.

Tuesday 27 September 2005FARMERS and landowners who have applied for payments from the newly created Rural Payments Agency (RPA) are being warned to fill in yet another form - or risk missing not getting paid for years ahead.

Monday 26 September 2005The web site will include a comprehensive listing of all the events taking place in Craven along with useful information for events organisers on funding, marketing, and events management.

Wednesday 21 September 2005PLANS for windfarms in the most beautiful parts of Britain are being given approval in areas where, in the past, they have always been rejected, says a report issued today by the Council for the Protection of Rural England.

Thursday 15 September 2005AN AREA of 50 square miles around the Yorkshire Dales village of Austwick switched onto broadband web services today at a press conference organised by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Wednesday 14 September 2005AS BRITAIN teetered this morning on the edge of a fuel crisis blockade that could bring our roads to a standstill, one of the country's leading observers claimed that farmers could grow the country out of future oil crises.

Tuesday 13 September 2005CAMPING and caravanning has had a boom summer according to figures published by the Camping and Caravanning Club - news which will receive a mixed reception in the Yorkshire Dales.

Friday 09 September 2005IN ONE of the most devastating attacks ever launched on Government policies towards rural areas, the Campaign to Protect Rural England today claims that most of Britain's countryside will have disappeared by the year 2035 - a single generation away

Tuesday 06 September 2005THE Government has announced a nationwide survey to judge the potential threat from wild boar - just as Daelnet highlighted concerns over the possible release of wolves and bears in Britain.

Wednesday 31 August 2005A Government decision announced today to allow the shooting of 3,000 cormorants on inland waterways has sparked yet another bitter row amongst rival conservation groups. And it was the second such spat to erupt this week.

Tuesday 30 August 2005GOVERNMENT scientists and Britain's leading ornithologists issued a statement over the Bank Holiday weekend to calm fears about the possible spread of avian flu to the UK by migrating birds.

Wednesday 24 August 2005MILLIONS of motorists heading for a drive in the country this Bank Holiday weekend will have their views spoiled - and their road safety put at risk - by advertising billboards more than ten feet high.

Tuesday 23 August 2005RURAL development schemes designed to help not just farming but other business and social enterprises in the countryside have been given a major boost in Yorkshire, according to the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Monday 22 August 2005TENS of thousands of acres of Yorkshire farmland may have been ploughed for the last time after the current harvest, says the Country Land and Business Association. It means the end of centuries of tradition.

Thursday 18 August 2005AFTER more than a decade of controversy, walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders will have a new, designated route to explore through the Yorkshire Dales from today (18 August, 2005) as the latest phase of the Pennine Bridleway National Trail is opened.

Wednesday 17 August 2005THE Yorkshire Dales National Park has organised a series of events for visitors and locals alike during September. They include walks and talks about butterflies, birds and the history of the lead mining industry.

Tuesday 16 August 2005THE storm of protest over planning reforms backed by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott will intensify yet further today (Tuesday) when another powerful lobby group joins the campaign.

Monday 08 August 2005AS MANY country folk predicted, spring is getting earlier - a fact confirmed by 150,000 TV viewers who volunteered information for Bill Oddie's Springwatch TV programme earlier in the year, the current issue of the English Nature Magazine reports.

Thursday 04 August 2005THE biggest ever survey carried out in Britain to study the effects of farm practices on wildlife has proved that organic farms support a vastly greater range of wild creatures ranging from bats to beetles.

Wednesday 03 August 2005THE green belt planning system came into force 50 years ago today and the anniversary immediately became the centre of a bitter row amongst politicians from London and the South East.

Tuesday 02 August 2005A HELICOPTER airlift is underway in the Yorkshire Dales to repair damaged bridleways which - ironically - cannot be reached by conventional lorries because they would make the damage even worse.

Monday 01 August 2005ANCIENT "green lanes" which have criss-crossed the Yorkshire Dales for centuries are to be given further protection from leisure vehicles like 4 x 4 off-roaders and trail motorbikes.

Wednesday 27 July 2005THE astonishing success of the Skipton Building Society and its now 15 subsidiaries continues with the announcement yesterday of more growth and profits in the half-year financial results.

Wednesday 20 July 2005AS poultry farmers and game-bird breeders in North Yorkshire go on alert after last week's outbreak of Newcastle disease in pheasants - which can quickly turn into a killer plague for domestic birds - Britain and France have acted quickly to isolate areas of possible infection.

Tuesday 19 July 2005BRITAIN'S national parks will this weekend begin a week-long celebration of their work - and the Yorkshire Dales park has drawn up a list of events designed to attract both locals and visitors alike.

Wednesday 13 July 2005THREE members of the Yorkshire Dales National Park staff have become some of the first people in England to win new awards for their skills in helping tourists with advice and information.

Wednesday 06 July 2005BRITAIN'S hill farming industry, a vital lynchpin to country life in areas like the Yorkshire Dales, faced extinction by 2012, says a damning report published today by the National Trust.

Tuesday 05 July 2005THE Government's flagship plans to convert Britain to more environmentally friendly farming are in a state of shambles because of computer software problems, the National Farmers' Union claimed yesterday.

Wednesday 29 June 2005THE British Trust for Ornithology, the country's leading body for ornithological research, has come up with an on-line advice guide for the millions of ordinary people - and their children - who take a keen but amateur interest in the subject.

Monday 27 June 2005THE Government's new, all-embracing countryside watchdog is to be based in Yorkshire, it was announced over the weekend. Although the base in Sheffield is still a long way from the Yorkshire Dales, the news has been greeted with relief by many Dales environmental experts.

Wednesday 22 June 2005Textile artists Jill Clay and Katie Chaplin will be running a series of workshops on Japanese arts and crafts at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes next month.

Tuesday 21 June 2005YARN spinning and a floral frenzy for garden lovers are amongst the organised events planned within the Yorkshire Dales National Park in July, alongside a programme of accompanied walks over some of the most scenic routes in Britain.

Monday 20 June 2005COUNCILLORS, planners and property developers in the Yorkshire Dales were today pondering suggestions that the Government is about to create a special department to deal with the problems of rural housing.

Wednesday 15 June 2005YORKSHIRE Dales shoppers who use Morrison's stores in Skipton or Kendal are getting the best deal in Britain - despite the financial troubles attracting national newspaper headlines to the Bradford-based supermarket chain.

Tuesday 07 June 2005THE appalling spring weather this year has dramatically cut the number of swallows and other summer visitors coming to Britain - and scientists are investigating increased deaths of baby chicks hatched by some native species.

Thursday 02 June 2005Glebe Barn, the high quality bed and breakfast in Burnsall run by Alison and Robert Fort, recently celebrated its third anniversary, having opened its doors to its first paying customers at Easter 2002.

Wednesday 25 May 2005THE green belt designed to preserve space between ever-expanding towns and villages is celebrating its 50th anniversary under the most sustained attack in its history, according to one of Britain's best respected countryside protection groups.

Tuesday 24 May 2005HEALTH and safety issues have long been a source of confusion for farmers because the rules and regulations change so often so the Health and Safety Executive has created an Internet help line especially for them..

Wednesday 18 May 2005RADICAL new measures for the promotion of rural communities and wildlife announced yesterday in the Queen's Speech to Parliament have met with a guarded response from a wide range of conservation organisations.

Wednesday 18 May 2005Two leading young Dales conservationists have both been awarded a prize of £500 in recognition of their outstanding achievement, both as volunteers and professionally, in their work for the Yorkshire Dales.

Monday 16 May 2005Craven Lawn Tennis Club in Gargrave will be holding another Open Day on Sunday 5th June 2005 from 11am - 5pm. This is a great opportunity for anyone wishing to try their hand at tennis or croquet, or simply to come along and see what Tennis at Gargrave is all about.

Thursday 12 May 2005BRITAIN'S canal system, which only forty years ago was considered by many as a stinking and dangerous chain of stagnant pools, has now become one of the country's leading wildlife sanctuaries - and scientists are trying to find out just how important it is.

Wednesday 11 May 2005A COUNTYWIDE search is launched in Yorkshire today to recognise the important conservation work carried out by people whose efforts are often misunderstood: game keepers and water bailiffs.

Thursday 05 May 2005ALTHOUGH the opinion polls are predicting another Labour win, today's general election results in country constituencies could be a key factor in the make-up of the next Parliament, many experts believe.

Wednesday 04 May 2005A CAMPAIGN to clear up roadside clutter which is disfiguring many rural highways has been ignored by most English county councils, including those in Yorkshire, according to the Council to Protect Rural England.

Thursday 28 April 2005LUCKY visitors to one of the Yorkshire Dale's most famous landmarks, Malham Cove, may from next week be able to soar to new heights by studying the fastest animal on earth, the majestic peregrine falcon.

Wednesday 27 April 2005THE Country Land and Business Association is claiming that it has been forced to come to the rescue of the Government department responsible for settling future farm payments under new EU rules.

Tuesday 26 April 2005On 23rd and 24th of July 2005 the United Kingdom is to hold for the first time a round of the BIU World BikeTrial Championship. The BIU is the BikeTrial International Union, with its Head Office based in Japan.

Tuesday 26 April 2005MANY small businesses in the Yorkshire Dales have a "green" conscience - and some like to do more environmentally friendly work, according to the preliminary results of a survey carried out by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

Monday 25 April 2005THE BAN on foxhunting has led to an unexpected surge in interest in equine-based businesses, according to the Country Land and Business Association. The reason: hunter owners are seeking ways of keeping their mounts active rather than face the macabre choice of having them put down.

Thursday 21 April 2005AFTER more than a decade of trying to find legal methods of tackling one of the most controversial problems in the Yorkshire Dales - the use of ancient "green lanes" by leisure vehicles like 4 x 4s and trail motorbikes - talks may start soon on a voluntary control system.

Tuesday 19 April 2005ONE OF the most important planning enquiries ever to affect Britain's rural landscape opens in Cumbria today over plans which, say critics, would in effect "industrialise rural England."

Monday 18 April 2005Manifest Marketing, a Dales firm gaining a name for itself offering PR and advertising support to clients in the area, is to provide professional advice to a characterful hotel and restaurant in Bingley.

Monday 18 April 2005WITH lambing well underway on the hill farms of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District, reports are beginning to come in of attacks on newborn animals by foxes which can no longer be hunted.

Thursday 14 April 2005AFTER a minor hiccup, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has finally approved its controversial new policy of permitting new house building only for sale or rent to local people.

Wednesday 13 April 2005OFFICIALS from Defra, local authorities and farming organisations have launched a drive for better biosecurity at Yorkshire's livestock markets and a series of advice "road shows" will be visiting the Yorkshire Dales beginning later this month.

Tuesday 12 April 2005HILL FARMERS struggling with the complexities of the CAP singly payment scheme still have ten days to apply for hardship grants, thanks to pressure on Defra from the NFU and the CLA.

Thursday 07 April 2005The new flat season at Ripon, Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse, begins on Thursday 14th April with an afternoon of racing excitement featuring the Ripon Silver Bowl Conditions Stakes.

Wednesday 06 April 2005YORKSHIRE landowners and rural business owners have launched their own manifesto for the general election campaign demanding more inward investment into the countryside and a slashing of Government red tape which hinders rural development.

Tuesday 05 April 2005THE Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has a new member - and a former employee - in Andrew Osborne, who worked as the park's media officer for five years before becoming a regional director of the environmental charity EnCams.

Monday 04 April 2005Figures published at the weekend by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) show bird populations in Yorkshire and Humber have risen above the national trend. Species doing particularly well include grey heron and stock dove.

Thursday 24 March 2005COUNTRY landowners have launched a stinging retort to allegations made yesterday that the vast bulk of EU farm subsidy payments have for years been creamed off by their members and huge agri-industrial conglomerates

Tuesday 22 March 2005Wild birds would be badly affected if GM herbicide-tolerant winter oilseed rape were to be grown in the UK according to the Government's owns research, says the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Monday 21 March 2005BUSINESSES in the Yorkshire Dales tourist industry are being urged to "go green" - because more and more discerning visitors want to spend their holiday money in environmentally friendly ways, believe officials at the National Dales National Park Authority.

Thursday 17 March 2005THE WHOLE of Yorkshire will have broadband Internet coverage by the end of the year, according to Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, announcing that it is awarding £2.2 million in grants to launch the project.

Wednesday 09 March 2005WORK in the Yorkshire Dales National Park will come under the TV microscope this weekend in the Countryfile documentary programme fronted by veteran TV presenter, the aptly named John Craven.

Monday 07 March 2005A new Government scheme aimed at rewarding farmers and other land managers who contribute to the conservation and enhancement of the countryside has been welcomed by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

Thursday 03 March 2005IN WHAT are being described as "the biggest changes in farming for a generation," Defra will today announce its plans for rewarding farmers for their environmental work under the new single farm payment scheme.

Tuesday 01 March 2005COUNTRYSIDE organisations throughout the country are organising special hikes to raise funds for Red Nose Day - and individuals are being invited to organise their own walks so that they can join in the fun.

Thursday 24 February 2005HEAVY snow on the uplands of the Yorkshire Dales has forced national park officials to abandon a dramatic helicopter airlift of foundation material for the new Pennine Bridleway Trail.

Wednesday 23 February 2005Farmers and land managers struggling with complex agricultural reforms and new regulations are seeking expert advice at unprecedented levels, said rural business leader Mrs Susan Cunliffe-Lister.

Tuesday 22 February 2005THE LONG awaited work to complete a "Pennine Way" for horse riders across the Yorkshire Dales will begin this week - weather permitting - with a helicopter airlift lift to carry stone to build foundations across parts of Malham Moor.

Friday 18 February 2005PRINCE Charles, a great friend of the Yorkshire Dales, may have other things on his mind at present but it will not stop him launching a new campaign for affordable rural housing today (February 18).

Wednesday 16 February 2005AS the High Court today hands down its decision on whether or not the Government ban on foxhunting was legal, a newly published opinion poll says that the number of people opposing the sport has dropped from over 70% to less than half.

Tuesday 15 February 2005ONCE AGAIN, it is good news, bad news for Britain's wild birds according to the latest survey by the British Trust for Ornithology, which is compiled with the help of no fewer than 30,000 amateur bird-watchers.

Monday 14 February 2005GOVERNMENT plans to form a brand new countryside watchdog by combining existing agencies is already under widespread attack - and the proposals were only published last Thursday.

Thursday 10 February 2005BUSINESS people in the Yorkshire Dales and other parts of the county are confident that this year will bring a boom in tourism, according to a poll carried out by the Country Land and Business Association.

Wednesday 09 February 2005MOST people know the meaning of St Valentine's Day in its modern concept - ie yet another campaign by the retail industry to sell more goods - but few realise that the actual day, February 14, is a key date in the wildlife calendar.

Tuesday 08 February 2005AN UNKNOWN benefactor has stepped forward to save free guided walks in the Lake District due to be abandoned because they attract "too many middle aged, middle class white people."

Friday 04 February 2005THE Skipton Building Society, which a week ago announced a £10 million drive to help build rental homes for key workers in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, has netted record profits on the back of the property price boom.

Thursday 03 February 2005SEVERAL species of rare birds that breed in the uplands of the Yorkshire Dales and other Pennine areas are at risk from global warning, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reported yesterday.

Wednesday 02 February 2005ONE of Britain's best loved - and most useful - insects, the ladybird, is under twin threats from global warming yet another invader from North America, the harlequin ladybird.

Monday 31 January 2005ON THE eve of a national conference due to open in Manchester to discuss the future of "sustainable communities" in the UK, Government plans today came under withering attack from the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Wednesay 26 January 2005HILL FARMERS in the Yorkshire Dales, who work some of the toughest land in Britain and who are already under severe financial pressures, have received another blow from the Government: they won't get paid for a year!

Tuesday 25 January 2005A DECADE-old battle to prevent 4x4s and motorised trail bikes churning up ancient "green lanes" In the Yorkshire Dales for fun has been welcomed by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

Monday 24 January 2005OPTIMISTIC Government plans to bring prosperity to the North of England to match the boom in the South East have been criticises as "too vague" and a possible danger to the countryside by one of England's most respected countryside bodies.

Thursday 20 January 2005AS expected, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority yesterday made the historic decision to ban wealthy incomers from snapping up newly built houses and conversions - a decision which is being watched with interest and concern across the UK.

Wednesday 19 January 2005AS the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority was meeting today to vote on a landmark decision on rural housing, its plans were being watched with interest throughout the UK - and were highlighted on the BBC radio's flagship radio programme.

Tuesday 18 January 2005AFTER vehement criticism from a consortium of countryside organisations, the Government has made a U-turn by promising that it will not put small country shows and gymkhanas out of business by imposing huge increases in drink-sales licences.

Thursday 13 January 2005FARMERS who work particularly difficult land - which includes many hill farms in the Yorkshire Dales - are being warned that they only have until the end of this month to apply for special hardship grants.

Tuesday 11 January 2005ONE of the most significant votes ever taken in the Yorkshire Dales National Park to tackle the decades-old shortage of affordable housing for local people will be decided next week - and is already attracting close attention from other parts of the UK.

Tuesday 11 January 2005CONSERVATIONISTS, farmers and landowners are today digesting a report from Ireland which raises the possibility of yet another emotive clash in the countryside: proof that badgers spread TB to cattle.

Monday 10 January 2005DISASTER relief teams from the London-based World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), an international UN-recognised charity representing nearly 500 member societies worldwide, are en route to aid the animal victims of the tsunami that has devastated several countries in South East Asia and assess what needs to be done.

Wednesday 05 January 2005PLANS to axe some 100 voluntary wardens who lead people on walks in the Lake District have been shelved in a row which has led to the national park authority being accused of political correctness.